Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-04-29

FOR ALMOST SIXTY YEARS.
IBrattleboro Letter 10 the Sunday Republican,
BRATTLEBoRo, W.,
Saturday, April %.
In quaint, white painted cottage on
Canal street, in front of which stand three
or four shapey naples, lives William \.
Conaut, in his SD year. He is an unpre-
tentious but Interestingly jolly old gentle
man. who has won more than local celebri-
ty as a practical violin manufacturer, and
is believed to be the oldest living represen-
tative of his trade in the United States still
engaged in the manufacture of these in
struments. Although respected resi-
dent of the town since 1929, when he moved
from Lowell, Mass, his life-work has been
50 quiet and transformations as hardly to at
tract the attention of even his towns-people
comparatively few of whom understand
the degree Of proficiency to which he has
attained in the manufacture of violins and
violuncellos. A brief account of his sue
cessfu career will be Of local interest.
a single room in his tidy home furnishes
him work shop. In 1871 Mr. Conant be
gan the manufacture of 'cellos for John
Woodbury.. whose music store was in Stems
House. Eighty four of these instruments
we're made and sold to the trade in Boston
and New York, which secured to the maker
quite reputation for excellence of work
nianship After a time lac began to make
yiolins, and as his books show 1896 of these
Instruments were sold to Woodbury. and
iiurdutt Not till 1876 did he begin mum
hering his violns 50 that he is not able to
tell exactly how many Of them have been
put on the market still It is his belief that
he has made as many as 700 viOns all told,
many Of which are undoubtedly in use to
day Letters from leading musicians in
different parts of the country attest the
value Of these instruments, and the old
manufacturer takes cummendahle pride in
referring 10 the complimentary terms in
which the celebrated Dodworth spoke of
these violins pronOuncing them superior
ia tone to those of French or English make.
Another case is that Of Il celebrated violin
lst who was asked by leading city music
dealer 10 select the best toned instrument
from four, two celebrated French and two
Of Commits make Placed in dark room
| the musician was not permitted TO exam
| inc the finish of the instruments until he
| had given his decision, which was decided
| ~ in favor Of the Conant make and after
]
unhesitatingly declared the American VIC
lin to be in every way superior to the
! French Mr.. Conant tunes his own yiolns
though he cannot play a tune yet he Is
often importuned by local musicians and
| others TO string and tune their violins. The
| wood for the manufacture of these instru-
ments comes from OIL the Green mountains.
1t is selected stock, very few trees being
fit for use. The top or belly of the violin
is of old growth spruce, it being selected
for its softness and fine grain. Only one side
Of the tree is fit for the manufacture of vi
uins After a suitable tree has been found,
only the north side is selected As tine south
side grows faster and the sun draws the
gum to that side 50 that the wood is coars
er 1t is not especially the grain of the
wood, says Mr. Conant, that makes a VIC
lin good. Some are made of coarse grain
and others fine, but it is what | call the
temper Of the wood that gives the best tone
to the instrument. | don't suppose could
find one log in all Of the millions floating
down the Connecticut tit for violins, a.
they are all second growth, cut near tn,
river, where the first growth has long since
been DESTROYED In Europe the German
pine, or deal is used altogether for violins
but don't use it. The sides, back anc
neck of the violin are made of curly ma
pie He never works his wood until it il
least seven years old, and even now he hai
some ON hand IL years old \ friend il
Norwich, c., brought him some wood from
the pulpit floor Of an old church which wa
taken down, with the expectation that tn,
, age of this stock would impart tone to tn,
instruments From this two violins wer,
made, but they proved no better than thos
made from wood obtained on the noun
tains Perhaps said the manufacture
humorously, had he made his selection
from the singers seat, the result woul,
have been different II is conceded tina
it is the vibrations of the wood that i'm
parts the tone 10 "A violin, and n good wolf
invariably improves with use. 1t makes
vast difference who handles IA violin, as dis
cords harm a good instrument This
the reason, declares Mr.. Conant, why goo
violinists are 10th 10 loan their instruments
violin if laid aside goes to sleep, and
often requires a master like Ole Bull {
wake it up and bring it to-" 1t take
something like six weeks for Mr. Conan
to make a thorough violin, and the wor
requires patience and lots of experience
After they have been put together they ar
vanished, rubbed down and strung. Til
bow he does not make, that part of the il
strument being trade of itself most q
them are made in France.
Mr. Conant has not kept continually bus
for the past forty years making viOlins fo
he spent some 20 years in making ivor
rules for the Stearns company before il
removal To New Britain, Ct but all tn
time he had a room and occasionally mad
a violin for a customer and always ha
one or more ON hand. "A violin is IA grea
study" says the venerable maker; mo-
Of them are got up cheap, but the owner
! of my instruments say that they are MOI
alike in tone than those of any other MAI
ufacture.' Some of these violins have bee
in use by local players for more than thirt
years and grow richer in tone as they gro
older, and are consequently highly value,
The average price of these viohns is So
though much higher prices have been asl
ed for special instruments. Formerly NJ
Conant and n man named White of BOsto
were the sole manufacturers known in Ne
England, but today there are several. No
withstanding his age Mr.. Conant man
tests appreciation for a good violin and
ever ready TO acknowledge the merits
other manufacturers. He is conversaI
with the history of all of the noted violi
. makers, as well as with that of eminel
players, and he often refers with pleasul
10 the fact that the great Italian, Stradivi
RUS, made vioins until he was 80 yea
old, and that recently some of the latter
make have been sold at auction for SlOI
each. Mr.. Conant and his estimable wi
anticipate with much pleasure the celebrl
ton of their Goth marriage anniversal